(12-11-2021, 10:28 PM)wrong_box Wrote:

(12-10-2021, 08:54 PM)homebiscuit Wrote: Modern cars are not hard to work on if you have a code reader and some understanding of electronic control. I do all my own maintenance and repairs.  Many times, it's just a sensor that needs replacement. The only things I don't work on are air conditioners and transmissions because those require specialized tools/knowledge.

A couple of months ago my wife told me her car was stalling and running rough. It threw a check engine light so I read the code, consulted the Google machine, ordered the part needed (vapor canister purge valve) on Amazon for half the price it cost in the stores and replaced the next day in 5 minutes with no tools required. Had I taken it to a mechanic, that $30 part would have undoubtedly cost me hundreds in repair bills.

Modern cars are much more reliable and durable than old iron. But when they break, a little research and some basic tools can go a long way towards the ability for DIY repair.

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Until you have a sensor thats located on the back side of the engine (front wheel drive) under the exhaust manifold behind a heat shield that you have to use a mirror to see because you cant get to it from the bottom, sensors aren't too bad to replace. Gotta love Hyundai Sonata

Replacing the crankshaft position sensor on my old Kia minivan was a PITA. The right front tire, plastic shielding between the engine and wheel well that could only be snapped together properly on the assembly line, and the engine cover had to come out just to get to it. About a year later the sensor went out again. I paid a mechanic friend of my son to do it because I had just returned from an overseas trip and didn't feel like dealing with it. I got rid of it afterwards and vowed to never buy another Korean vehicle. 

I absolutely love Japanese engineering. It's reliable, rugged, elegant and easy/economical to maintain. The only exception was my wife's old Honda CRV. Gawd, what a pain to work on anything in the engine compartment because they moved everything so far forward for weigh distribution.

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